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Not Patrick
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I did a vertical of Adam last year and posted the results. I decided to copy my notes over here since I was looking them up anyway.
I had a few friends over and we opened bottles of:
batch 26 (1997, 12oz)
batch 39 (1999, 1.5L)
batch 55 (2002, 12oz)
batch 70 (2005?, 12oz)
batch 81 (2011, 3L)
The batch 26, purchased from the brewery, was unanimously over the hill. It was dry, nearly flat, and very thin. The oxidation (sherry and cardboard) gave it a cola-like character. It didn't get finished. I was really disappointed, as it was, on a $/oz basis, the most expensive bottle of the tasting. I would not pay or trade a lot for anything of this age again.
Batch 39 was better. It showed some signs of cardboard, and it was also dry and undercarbed, but it had a nice melange of sherry with some dark fruit character lingering. I like Adam for its tobacco and leather flavors, and that was found here in mild, accenting amounts. If I were offered another batch 39 (or similar age) magnum again, I might take it for the interest factor.
Batch 55 had the most tobacco/leather of all of the batches. It was moderately dry, properly carbonated, and the oxidation cut its sweetness nicely without going too far. I would say, comparing this to batch 39, that b39 was a tad beyond its peak. I would not age Adam beyond 10 years after having this bottle.
Batch 70 was probably my favorite, because it had the sweetness of young Adam, moderate oxidation, and a good body. It didn't have the leather and tobacco that I enjoy, so I guess it could use another year or two to develop that. I also get the sense that it could be batch variation (some batches having more tobacco / leather than others). I say this because I've drank batch 55 Adam a few times over the past 3 years, and it has always had a strong, unchanging amount of those flavors, whereas younger Adams have not shown any progression of that profile. It seems that what they start with sticks around, but doesn't necessarily increase.
Batch 81 was overcarbonated; it gushed all over the floor. It had a spicy, peppery finish that reminded me of Belgian yeast. It was also the hoppiest with some noticeable flavors of earth. I didn't like it as much as b55 or b70, but everyone else loved it.
Note: since that vertical, I have drank various batches of Adam. 88 is the most recent one, I believe. It reminds me more of 'traditional' Adam, and that Belgian influence I detected is gone. It has a restrained tobacco / leather presence with a stronger emphasis on dark fruit, without being treacly. I am curious to see how this ages. I suspect it will progress a lot like batch 70, albeit with more tobacco.
An official photo, with a 3L perched on the massive biceps of Nanoslug:
Yes, we had a t-shirt designed for the tasting.
The Cherry Adam from the Wood magnum (2009) was opened at a previous tasting. I felt like it had gone a bit past its peak, and I say this as someone who once gave that batch a perfect 5.0 and have consumed it religiously every few months. The 2011 batch was drinking pretty well in mid-2012. I felt it peaked by the end of the year, and now I think it is on its way down. The 2012 batch of Cherry Adam from the Wood was a disappointment.
I had a few friends over and we opened bottles of:
batch 26 (1997, 12oz)
batch 39 (1999, 1.5L)
batch 55 (2002, 12oz)
batch 70 (2005?, 12oz)
batch 81 (2011, 3L)
The batch 26, purchased from the brewery, was unanimously over the hill. It was dry, nearly flat, and very thin. The oxidation (sherry and cardboard) gave it a cola-like character. It didn't get finished. I was really disappointed, as it was, on a $/oz basis, the most expensive bottle of the tasting. I would not pay or trade a lot for anything of this age again.
Batch 39 was better. It showed some signs of cardboard, and it was also dry and undercarbed, but it had a nice melange of sherry with some dark fruit character lingering. I like Adam for its tobacco and leather flavors, and that was found here in mild, accenting amounts. If I were offered another batch 39 (or similar age) magnum again, I might take it for the interest factor.
Batch 55 had the most tobacco/leather of all of the batches. It was moderately dry, properly carbonated, and the oxidation cut its sweetness nicely without going too far. I would say, comparing this to batch 39, that b39 was a tad beyond its peak. I would not age Adam beyond 10 years after having this bottle.
Batch 70 was probably my favorite, because it had the sweetness of young Adam, moderate oxidation, and a good body. It didn't have the leather and tobacco that I enjoy, so I guess it could use another year or two to develop that. I also get the sense that it could be batch variation (some batches having more tobacco / leather than others). I say this because I've drank batch 55 Adam a few times over the past 3 years, and it has always had a strong, unchanging amount of those flavors, whereas younger Adams have not shown any progression of that profile. It seems that what they start with sticks around, but doesn't necessarily increase.
Batch 81 was overcarbonated; it gushed all over the floor. It had a spicy, peppery finish that reminded me of Belgian yeast. It was also the hoppiest with some noticeable flavors of earth. I didn't like it as much as b55 or b70, but everyone else loved it.
Note: since that vertical, I have drank various batches of Adam. 88 is the most recent one, I believe. It reminds me more of 'traditional' Adam, and that Belgian influence I detected is gone. It has a restrained tobacco / leather presence with a stronger emphasis on dark fruit, without being treacly. I am curious to see how this ages. I suspect it will progress a lot like batch 70, albeit with more tobacco.
An official photo, with a 3L perched on the massive biceps of Nanoslug:
Yes, we had a t-shirt designed for the tasting.
The Cherry Adam from the Wood magnum (2009) was opened at a previous tasting. I felt like it had gone a bit past its peak, and I say this as someone who once gave that batch a perfect 5.0 and have consumed it religiously every few months. The 2011 batch was drinking pretty well in mid-2012. I felt it peaked by the end of the year, and now I think it is on its way down. The 2012 batch of Cherry Adam from the Wood was a disappointment.
